The famous song sings: "There is only a moment between the past and the future." He is called our life. But what, even if this “moment” a person spends unconscious? Is it worth it to hold on to it? No one will give an exact answer to this question. However, there are cases when a person has been between life and death for decades and clutched at this “moment”. Let's talk about the longest coma that a person has visited.
Life-long sleep
The most coma debt was recorded in the United States. At the end of 1969, on New Year's Eve, a 16-year-old girl with pneumonia was hospitalized. If this were a common case in medical practice, she would undergo a course of treatment and return to a full life. But Edward O'Bar suffered from diabetes. On January 3, insulin did not reach the circulatory system, and the girl lost consciousness for many years.
The last phrase of the modern "Snow White" was a request for the mother not to leave her. The woman kept her word: she spent thirty-five years at the bedside of her daughter. She celebrated all her birthdays, read books to her and believed in the best. Absent only for sleep and shower. In 2008, the mother passed away, and the sister of an unusual patient took over her burden.
In November 2012, at the age of 59, Snow White passed away. Thus, the longest coma lasted 42 years.
It is noteworthy that the poor woman spent all her unconscious years with open eyes. She did not see and did not hear others, did not react to anything. Close the Eyelids of Edward O'Bar could only on the day of her death.
Is there a chance to wake up after many years?
Until recently, doctors were sure that between life and death a person is only the first month. Then his return to consciousness is impossible. Some relatives of patients did not like this situation, and for years they waited at the bedside of a loved one until he woke up.
The longest coma, after which the patient began to respond to others, lasted 20 years. That is how many years the American Sarah Scentlin spent unconscious after she was hit by a drunk driver in a car. To be precise, she spent 16 years unconscious. Then she began to communicate with loved ones with the help of her eyes. After another 4 years, some reflexes and speech returned to her. True, after awakening, Sarah sincerely believed that she was still 18 years old.
In fact, the longest coma, after which the person woke up, happened to a resident of Poland - Jan Hziebski. Pole unconscious spent 19 years. When Jan woke up, he was most struck by the quantity and range of goods in stores. And for good reason. He “fell asleep” in the early eighties, when martial law was introduced in the country. Jebsky woke up in 2007.
Cases in Russia and Ukraine
In these countries there are also cases of a miraculous return to life. So, the Russian teenager Valera Narozhnigo recovered after 2.5 years of deep sleep. In a coma, a 15-year-old boy found himself after he received an electric shock.
The Ukrainian young man, Kostya Shalamaga, spent 2 years unconscious. He ended up in a hospital bed after an accident. A 14-year-old boy riding a bicycle was hit by a car.
Of course, both of these examples cannot take their place in the Guinness Book of Records in the category "The Longest Coma." But the parents probably did not want the boys to become famous in this way. In both cases, relatives say that a miracle happened because relatives prayed and believed in him.
Life after a "long sleep"
The longest coma from which a person emerged made scientists return to the study of this unconscious state. It is now known that the brain is able to recover itself. True, it is not yet clear how to “turn on” this mechanism.
African researchers suggest a cure for coma can be found. According to them, you can temporarily bring a person into consciousness already today. Some sleeping pills have these properties. However, this issue has been little studied.
So far, according to observers, the most difficult thing for a person who has been between life and death is psychological adaptation. It is difficult for a patient to believe that he is older, his relatives have grown old, children have grown, and the world itself has become different.
Some people, after returning from deep sleep, simply do not understand their loved ones. So, for example, the Englishwoman Linda Walker, waking up, began to speak the Jamaican dialect. Doctors believe the case is related to genetic memory. Perhaps the ancestors of Linda were native speakers of this language.
Why do people fall into a coma?
It is still not clear why some fall into such a state. But each case indicates that some deviation has occurred in the body.
Currently, more than 30 types of coma are known:
- traumatic (accident, bruise);
- thermal (overcooling, overheating);
- toxic (alcohol, drugs);
- endocrine (diabetes), etc.
Any kind of deep sleep is a dangerous condition between life and death. Inhibition of the cerebral cortex occurs, the functioning of the nervous system and blood circulation is disrupted. In humans, reflexes fade. More it resembles a plant.
It used to be that in a coma a person does not feel anything. Everything changed after the incident with Martin Pistorius. The young man fell into a coma because of a sore throat, and lived in it for 12 years. After awakening in 2000, Martin said that he felt and understood everything, just could not give a signal. Currently, the man is married and works as a designer.
Hyperglycemic coma, symptoms and emergency care
Diabetic who should be allocated in a separate row. It was in it that the first heroine of our article was 42 years old. The main thing is that at the initial stage of this disease, a person can be helped.
When in the body with diabetes the level of glucose in the blood rises and toxins accumulate, then hyperglycemic coma develops . Symptoms of the disease are as follows:
- weakness is growing;
- constantly thirsty;
- loss of appetite;
- frequent urination occurs;
- drowsiness increases;
- the skin turns red;
- breathing quickens.
After these symptoms, a person may lose consciousness, fall into a coma and die. To avoid this, urgently need to enter insulin intravenously or intramuscularly. And also call an ambulance.
The main thing is not to confuse this type of loss of consciousness with hypoglycemia. With the last disease in the blood sugar drops. In this case, insulin will only do harm.